Iraqi President Won’t Approve Execution of Tariq Aziz

Story Here

Iraqi President Jalal Talabani said he won’t agree to the execution of Saddam Hussein’s deputy prime minister, Tariq Aziz, who was sentenced to hang after being convicted of a role in the regime’s persecution of opponents.

“I feel for Tariq Aziz, because he’s an Iraqi Christian and also he’s an elderly man who is over 70,” Talabani told France24 television in an interview aired today. “I will sign no death sentence at all because as a social democrat, I’m against the death penalty.”

Its' up to the people of Iraq what they want to do with Tariq Aziz. Not that anyone over there cares what I think, but at this point (I could have my mind changed), I agree with the no death sentence for Tariq Aziz. Not because he's an old man and a Christian. But because I'm against the death penalty unless it's for self defense for the rest of us. Tariq Aziz has no cult following like UBL. He hasn't got a bunch of people willing to do terrorist acts to get him freed, etc. I'm sure the Iraqi president doesn't care ... but I approve of his not signing the death sentence for this man.

reply to post by FlyersFan


Using that reasoning you could say that he shouldn't be imprisoned either... Let them just give him a house, pension, wife... After all he is only 70...

reply to post by Somehumanbeing

No. He did the crime so he should go to jail. What I'm saying is that he isn't a threat to be left alive so he shouldn't be put to death. I don't know how you got that he should be set free and not punished because of what I said. I happen to be against the death penalty unless it's for self defense. There is no self defense needed in this case, but he still has to go to jail for his crimes.

reply to post by FlyersFan


But why should he be punished? Don't you think that is inhumane? I mean, there is no self-defense needed.